


A Kind Of Predicament

by Anonymous



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Enemies to Allies, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, First Meetings, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29890731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Raven has a mission, and this mission is to find an old Jedi who's said to know the location of every remaining Jedi that managed to survive the Empire's attack. Turns out that completing that mission is not as easy as she thinks it'll be.
Relationships: Irene Adler (X-Men)/Raven | Mystique
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3
Collections: X-Men Rare Pairs 2021





	A Kind Of Predicament

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InsertSthMeaningful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsertSthMeaningful/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [InsertSthMeaningful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsertSthMeaningful/pseuds/InsertSthMeaningful) in the [xmenrarepairs21](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmenrarepairs21) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Irene is a Jedi Knight, and Raven is the Sith Lord sent to destroy her. Of course, everything does not turn out as planned.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this prompt and trying to fuse X-Men and Star Wars together, so much fun that I might make more of this verse someday! I hope you enjoy this too dear prompter! <3

_"An easy job,_ he said," Raven complains under her breath, almost punching a tree branch that stood on her way. Annoying and stupid little thing, blocking her path like that. "I'm starting to think it's a job you didn't want to take yourself, Erik."

As she makes her way through the thick forest, Raven looks up at the sky. It's the end of the afternoon considering the way the sun slowly sets on the horizon. She had been following her target for a whole hour now, sneaking through the forest and avoiding the trails between the trees to keep herself from being seen.

At least, Raven concedes, the planet _is_ beautiful. She had seen the blue-green expanse of the planets' surface (which she couldn't remember the name of for the life of her) when she approached the planet earlier on her ship, shining brightly with the light of its sun and making the colors more vibrant. Up close, the colors were just as vibrant as they were from outer space. The forests were luscious and green and looked like a paradise, the air fresh, the weather just perfect, and the sky was of an incredible bright blue- now turning into a lovely shade of purples and oranges as the day came to an end.

A lovely place, although Raven is still not pleased with the amount of times she had stumbled over roots on the ground or had to battle with branches. The only reason she hadn't whipped her lightsaber yet was because of the noise it would make, too much of a unique sound for Raven to risk it, but she can't say she doesn't want to.

It's only when Raven notices the lake appearing through the small spaces between the trees that she knows she's _(finally)_ getting close to ending her pursuit. She can sense her target better now that she has to care less about making her way through the thick flora, and hopefully, considering her target doesn't know she's there, they can't feel her back.

Raven hides herself behind a tree, hand moving to hold the lightsaber that's against her hip in a tight grip, ready for an attack at any second if she deems it fit. She sees the person she has been following walking calmly through the sand around the lake, towards the water. The person doesn't reach the water, standing mere meters from it, before pulling back the hood of their cloak and revealing their face for the first time.

A woman, and a beautiful one at it, Raven notes. She stands with the backdrop of trees and the azure lake framing her form, dark but greying hair pulled up from her face and a stern expression, lips pressed tightly into a line and eyes facing the water in front of her. White eyes, unseeing eyes, Raven notices even from a distance, and frowns curiously. 

"Whoever you are, step out from your hiding place," the woman says, voice strong and carrying a commanding tone that makes Raven's body go stiff for a moment, knowing well that the words are directed at her. "I cannot begin to tell you how stupid it is to try to hide from a blind woman."

"It seems like I did a poor job of it even so," Raven says, voice just loud enough for the woman to hear her as she takes the lightsaber in hand properly now, figuring out a fight is to come. The woman, in return, only lets her lips curve up a little in amusement. "I suppose you knew I was following you the whole time?"

"Indeed."

"Then why didn't you confront me before? Why walk all the way here?"

"Because I know you carry a lightsaber with you, Sith," she says, less bite to her words than Raven expected from her. "Chandrila is peaceful, and I didn't want you disturbing its inhabitants' peace by trying to attack me with it. Besides," there's a smile on the woman's face again as she turns her body to face Raven, something bordering on gaiety on her expression. "The locals said it's a pretty view."

Raven just stands and stares for a moment, watching the other woman with a careful gaze, half waiting for some kind of trick, but nothing comes. 

"What's your name, Sith?" The woman asks, lean hands moving to the ties that keep her dark cloak in place and unties it, pulling it graciously away from her body. 

There's the noise of Raven's lightsaber extending for a moment as she gets ready for the fight she is _sure_ now is coming - taking your cloak off is the universal code for getting ready for a fight, isn't it? - only for the noise of it receding to be heard after a wave of the woman's fingers. _Rude,_ Raven thinks, ready to turn the lightsaber on again.

"There's no need for that, I'm just asking for your name," the woman says again, a tinge of annoyance to her words now as if Raven was being stubborn for even considering taking her lightsaber out. "A lightsaber is hardly needed for introductions."

Raven stays silent for a while longer, studying the Jedi for a few seconds before reluctantly replying, "Raven Darkhölme."

A smile appears at the woman's face as Raven says her name, nodding her head in understanding. She takes off her cloak finally, holding it over her arm casually.

"Wonderful name," she says, and Raven can't tell if it's sincere or not. Before she can try to question it, the woman speaks again. "Is it true what the locals said, Raven? About the view?"

Raven is confused, and her eyes narrow as she looks at the woman with both curiosity and caution. There's a game being played there, she's sure of it, but she can't figure out where this will lead yet. 

"I'm not sure," Raven mutters just loud enough for the woman to hear, seeing as she tilts her head at Raven's words. "My eyes aren't really on the view."

"Oh, you flatter me."

"No, that's not-" Raven stops herself, clenching her jaw as she sees how the woman's expression turned amused once more. If Raven blushes, it's hardly her fault. "Stop this. You know why I'm here, Jedi."

"I do," the woman nods. "I'm aware you want to capture me and make me reveal the location of the remaining Jedi, but I'm afraid that won't happen."

"You sound very sure of yourself."

"That's because I am," she nods again, making Raven frown. "It was good to meet you, Raven. But, well, we'll meet again."

Raven's frown deepens as she opens her mouth to question the woman on what she meant, but stops before she can get even a noise out of her lips at the sound of an approaching ship. Raven's eyes rise, widening as she notices there _is_ a ship approaching, and soon there are also shots being fired at her. She takes out her lightsaber again, this time it doesn't turn off, and runs for her life back to the forest. 

When she turns back again, the woman is gone, and so is the ship.

Raven hates cold planets, she hates how they make her have to wear thick and _real_ clothing instead of just making her outfit herself, which for her felt incredibly constricting. But, more than the cold planet, she's starting to hate both Erik and the mysterious and elusive Jedi Master who made her end up in this frigid place- suddenly Chandrila seemed like a good memory with its pretty views and branches that just wouldn't leave her way when she's faced with a snow storm and frozen oceans.

She didn't have much of a choice when Erik told her of the rumours of the woman's whereabouts and that Raven couldn't fail this time, a cold glare in his eyes. Raven still had yet to see the day that Erik Lehnsherr, right hand of the Emperor, wouldn't make her do his will by just looking at her. In her defence, Erik _does_ look fearsome with anger in his eyes and the scars on his face from the fight with his old master from before the Empire.

It takes only a few minutes of walking from the docks for Raven to arrive at a crowded bar, seeking the warmth and information about the woman- Irene, Erik had said, an old acquaintance of his from his Jedi days.

"She's a precog, that's why she managed to escape you easily," Erik had explained in a few words as Raven only stared at him. "You're the only one I know that can be unpredictable enough to get to her before she figures out your plan, especially now that you _know_ you need to be."

Raven still doesn't know if she should've taken that as a compliment or not.

She wipes her coat to take out the excess snow that gathered on top of it as she enters the bar, looking around with a displeased face as she sees the crowd of unfriendly faces. _Maybe they all hate the cold and were obligated to come here too,_ she thinks to herself as she ignores the curious glances from the patrons. She's about to order a drink when someone at the corner of the crowded place catches her attention, and _oh that seems too good to be true._

Irene is there, sitting alone at a table and sipping what looks like a hot drink, the hood of her cloak pulled away so her face is easily seen. Her hair is down this time, the grey streaks standing out against the dark auburn hair as it frames her face, and Raven once again can't help but think that the woman is beautiful. 

But seeing the woman there makes Raven realize two things. One, is that Irene is a precog, and therefore either she had been waiting for Raven there or Raven had been unpredictable in some way and she didn't see Raven's arrival- hard to pinpoint which of the two is the truth. Two, is that, if Irene really didn't see her coming, Raven has to find a way to keep Irene from knowing she is there. 

She tries to plan for a moment, tries to think of ways of being unpredictable so she can catch the Jedi by surprise, but all her plans fall to the ground once Irene raises her face and smirks, unmistakably at Raven.

So she had predicted Raven's arrival- there it goes the element of surprise. Then why is she there and not running away?

Raven hesitates for a few seconds, looking around her and observing the other patrons. Everyone seems mildly interested in her, the way everyone is when a newcomer gets into a room, but she can see this interest going away slowly, and no one seems to care about Irene's presence in the slightest. It doesn't look like a trap, but Raven feels for the lightsaber under her coat before stepping towards the corner where Irene is sitting. 

"Last time, you led me away from people," Raven says as she sits down in front of the Jedi, seeing Irene take another sip of her drink like there wasn't a worry in her world. The scent of it wafts towards Raven for a moment, making her mouth water- it smells sweet. "This time you're in a crowded place and waiting for me."

"Last time I had someone to help me escape. But look around you, Raven Darkhölme," Irene's voice sounds calm and conversational, as if she's not facing the person who wants her dead. "If you try something here, the people will fight you. I'm merely securing my safety. _And_ having a drink."

"You can't stay in this place forever," Raven argues, seeing Irene snort as if her words are funny. "You'll have to leave, and I'll capture you."

"I like you," Irene says all of the sudden, making Raven lean back in surprise for a small moment. "You are very confident, aren't you? That's good- to some extent. Confidence can very easily turn into imprudence."

"You seem to not care at all that I'm _hunting you,"_ Raven leans forward now, resting her arm on the table and looking at Irene with narrowed eyes. The Jedi doesn't seem to notice Raven's movement, or at least she doesn't seem to care. "I'm not joking when I say that I'll wait until this place is empty or until they kick us out if that's what it takes to get you."

"Why don't we talk in the meantime then?"

Raven stops for a second before uttering, _"Talk?"_

"Yes," Irene nods, putting her cup down. "When was the last time you sat down and just talked?"

Raven looks at the woman in front of her and tries to understand what she wants, tries to figure out what her plan is. A Sith and a Jedi sitting down and talking to each other at a bar- it sounds too much like the beginning of a joke, but what other option does she have now? 

She looks around herself again, trying to figure out if Irene had bluffed about the other patrons fighting her if she tried something or not. If there _was_ a fight, Raven would be more than able to take care of all of them, but she knows well that it would give Irene a window to escape, and maybe Raven would just end up on another cold planet looking for her again. She has to wait. 

With a sigh, Raven turns to look at the bar and raises her hand, ready to order a drink. She feels ridiculous.

"I suppose you work with Erik."

Raven doesn't fail to notice how Irene's voice shifts as she says Erik's name. There's bitterness there, together with some kind of pity that makes the Sith wonder how well Irene used to know Erik before he turned to the dark side. Her face seems tired all of the sudden.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Raven answers, holding back the information- although something told her that the Jedi in front of her already knows the answer. "Maybe I just want to end your kind once and for all."

Despite Raven's words, Irene smiles.

"I'm afraid that'll be harder than you think," there's certainty in her words, like she knows they are the absolute truth. "As long as you exist, so do I. Jedi and Sith- Light and darkness… One doesn't exist without the other, does it?"

Raven stares, then she stares again, realizing something. The knowledge that the woman in front of her holds, about the past and the future, is something Raven cannot truly fathom. As she takes a sip of her now warm drink, she looks like any other person in that small bar on some distant planet, not like the person who holds the information of every living Jedi in the galaxy, as well as maybe the future of the whole Empire. A treasure in human form. 

Someone comes close to the table and takes Raven's order - something strong that's sure to keep her warm once she drinks it - before leaving again. Once they're gone, Irene rests her face against her knuckles, her expression impassive.

"I wish Erik would hear reason. I wish he could know-" Her lips stay open as she decides if she should keep talking. In the end, she closes her mouth and sighs. Raven never has been more curious. "There's a lot he should know."

"I can send him the message," Raven offers. _What does Irene know about Erik Lehnsherr?_

"I knew Master Adler," Erik had said after Raven inquired him enough about the woman, not very happy upon saying those words. Her name made his lips curve down into a frown, as if he had tasted something bitter. "She used to be in the Jedi Council- Her power of seeing the future was certainly useful to them."

"And yet she didn't stop the Empire from rising?" Raven had asked. Erik's eyes rose at that moment, there was something there that she wasn't able to identify, but it seemed like more emotion than Raven had seen in Erik Lehnsherr ever since they met.

"She didn't stop many things." His voice was quieter than it had ever been, and the cold gaze made Raven look away from him, feeling the weight of that look without understanding what it meant exactly.

"He wouldn't believe me," Irene shrugs, fingers playing with her cup, now almost empty. "I believe he blames me for the loss he suffered, because I didn't see it coming. The truth is that I did, I just didn't think… I didn't think he'd choose the path he did."

 _She didn't stop many things,_ Raven remembers Erik's words. There is the story, one Raven had heard only fragments of, about the death of Erik's husband, an old Republic Senator. It wasn't hard now to put the pieces together. 

"And it's not the time for him to know, not with the darkness that only grows inside him," Irene continues, Raven's gaze on her now more interested than ever. "I'm afraid that if he did, he'd make the wrong choices. He'd lose what he thinks he already lost, this time completely."

Raven only watches as Irene takes a last sip from her cup before adding, "That's also why I can't let him know where the other Jedi are."

"And I need to give him this information," Raven says. Irene lets out a small amused huff.

"That's exactly why you _won't_ be able to."

"I'm not stopping my mission-"

"Here's the thing, Raven Darkhölme," Irene's voice raises a little, that commanding tone from the first time they met there all over again and making Raven listen. "Let me tell you what I see in your furture if you keep trying to find and capture me. You'll get close a few times, but I'd outsmart you and run away again, and again, and again, until Erik gets tired of you failing. He's had a Padawan before, I'm sure you've heard about Kate Pryde, and you're not much more than a Padawan for him, whatever abilities you have- but you're not Kate, and he's not the man he used to be," Irene leans closer over the table, white eyes staring directly at Raven and making her breathing catch for a moment. There is truth in her words, Raven can hear it. "You'll fail again and again, and the punishment will be getting rid of you."

"You're lying."

"You know I'm not," Irene says, her voice going back down a notch as she fixes herself on her seat. Raven barely notices the person placing her order in front of her as she stares at Irene with her chest heaving. "You know how he loses his temper easily now, how killing has been getting easier and easier for him as the years pass."

Raven blinks a few times, her lips pressed tight into a thin line as she tries not to grimace. She knows. She's seen Erik when he had lost his patience, which isn't a hard thing to do. If what Irene had said was true, Raven knows she's in danger- she's powerful, there's no doubt about it, but Erik was the right hand of the Emperor for a reason.

She takes a sip of her drink, it burns on the way down and warms her up from the inside as she wonders what she can do.

"I'll be going away from this place soon," Irene says, catching Raven's attention again. "Come with me."

Raven scoffs. "Why would I do that?"

"Because then you'll survive," Irene shrugs. "And because I can give you the training you need. You won't need Erik, or the Empire."

"I don't need training," Raven almost hisses. "And even so, he wouldn't stop going after you, he would just send someone else."

"Oh, I know," the smile on Irene's lips is filled with amusement. The way her face lights up with it, her whole body reflecting that one emotion, is almost strangely endearing to Raven as she watches the other woman. "But I'll still be able to see them coming, and I'll have you to help me with them."

"And how can I know this is not a trick?"

Irene's smile turns a little softer, a strange look in her face that makes Raven frown. It looks almost affectionate.

"You won't trust me for a while, that's true," the Jedi says with a sigh, as if Raven's distrust is an inconvenience. "But you'll grow to it. And here's a secret, Raven Darkhölme… If you go away and keep going with hunting me, you'll die before your time, but so will I. I am valuable to the Empire, after all, they won't let me go that easily. But if you stay…"

Irene stops for a moment as if she's thinking, smiling a bit as a small frown paints her forehead. "That's a possibility I have yet to see, but I can tell it'll look good for both of us."

Raven takes another sip of her drink, feeling it burn just like the first one as she clenches her jaw and stares at Irene. It could all be a lie, Irene could be trying to trick her into it, but Raven can't for the life of her find any reason not to believe the Jedi- Erik is unstable, and she can see herself failing over and over again to capture Irene as the precog outsmarts her. 

Raven downs her entire drink with a grimace and a quiet hiss as the drink hurts her throat, putting the glass down with a loud noise. She looks at Irene again, at the wavy hair framing her face and at the way her lips curl into a smile that seems like she knows she won. Raven doesn't know if it's the drink, but the curl of those lips looks attractive to her right then and there, and Raven has the strange urge to kiss that victorious smile away- or make it bigger. 

"When are you leaving this hell of a planet?"

When the smile on Irene's lips widens, Raven realizes that she may have gotten herself in trouble.

"I  _ knew _ you were trouble, you know?" Raven says in a hurry as she gets up from the bed. The sounds of the Stormtroopers breaking their front door were getting worryingly worse. "From the moment I saw you."

"You always complain, my dear," Irene mumbles, leaning forward and taking Raven's face between her hands to place a chaste kiss to her lips before gathering her things. When Raven realizes that Irene is naked and dressing up quickly at the same time she gets their belongings, she resents not being able to borrow her shapeshifting to her wife. "Even when I tell you this is not our time."

"Can't wait for when it  _ is." _

They manage to run away after Raven kills one or two of the Stormtroopers, watching Irene doing the same as they run to the small ship and leave the planet in a hurry. Once away and in hyperspace, Raven relaxes again, closing her eyes as she hears her wife chuckling on the seat by her side.

"What is it with you and laughing in the face of the people trying to kill you?" Raven asks, opening her eyes again to look at Irene. It was hard not to smile at the expression in the woman's face.

"They never seem to do it, do they?" Irene shrugs, turning her head to face Raven and reaching out for her hand. "And I married the last one."

"Let's keep it a one time event, shall we?" Irene smiles, nodding in confirmation. Raven leans forward, unable to control herself, and takes Irene's lips into a kiss.

Her wife's lips are soft, the kiss making Raven's body almost shift her shape in contentment like the first kiss they shared three years before. When she pulls back a little, those lips are curling up into a smile that makes Raven wonder how she could've been living without that woman for so long. 

"You do know when our time will come, don't you?" Raven asks quietly, seeing Irene's eyebrows raise for a moment. She nods gently in confirmation.

"If nothing happens," Irene starts with a calming voice that she only uses when she wants to reassure Raven of something. "I know when our time will come."

"At the hands of the Empire?" Raven questions, waiting a few seconds before she adds, "Erik's hands?"

To Raven's surprise, Irene shakes her head. With how much they had been running from Erik and the Empire, she haf convinced herself one day they wouldn't be able to run anymore. Apparently she had been wrong.

"When the time comes, the Empire will be gone," Irene's voice is still calm, somewhat dreamy now, and Raven frowns. A shadow crosses Irene's face for a moment. "And so will Erik."

"That can't be…"

"Can I tell you a secret?" 

"I hope you can, I'm your wife, am I not?"

Irene smiles a bit more at those words, squeezing Raven's hand. Around them, the universe goes by silently. 

"The reason I wanted you to come with me those years ago was because I knew already the Empire will fall," Irene says, thumb rubbing circles on the skin of Raven's hand. "You'd fall with it if you didn't die by Erik's hand first. I liked you too much to let you just go like that."

"You are a strange woman," Raven shakes her head in disbelief, hearing Irene snort. "But I appreciate the saving."

"I'm a Jedi, it's what I do."

There's no real conviction in her words, both of them convinced that their old titles don't really fit anymore. Too much had changed, they're not the Sith and Jedi they once were, and Raven knew Irene had the hardest time living with that. 

"It was love that helped the Empire to rise," Irene had said once, her face dark as she spoke. "I want to believe I'm not wrong for loving you, even if I know  _ love _ was never the problem- it was the person who felt it. And, well," she had stopped, a secretive smile on her lips then. "That same love might end it all."

"How does it fall?" Raven asks, bringing Irene's attention back to her. "The Empire, I mean."

"I don't have a clear vision," the woman shakes her head, taking a deep breath as she thinks. "Not yet, at least, but it gets clearer as the years pass. Erik will be the one to kill the Emperor."

_ "What?" _

"That's all I know," Irene seems deep in her thoughts, as if she's trying to get a clear view of the future. Her lips press into a tight line for a while, and Raven knows she failed. 

"And where are your visions leading us now?" When her wife smiles again, Raven smiles as well.

"A quiet planet," she says, sounding partially happy with her own words. "We'll be fine there for a few years before they find us again. But it has strong winters…"

"I think I can handle some snow if you're there to warm me up," Raven flirts, ready to redirect the coordinates when Irene gives the order. She sees her wife cackle at the flirting, hitting her lightly on her arm.

"Just get us to our new home, my dear," Irene says while chuckling. "I'll think of ways of warming you up when we have a bed for that."

With a grin, Raven pushes the coordinates of the planet into the ship's panel as Irene says them out loud, ready to start again one more time. 

**Author's Note:**

> Any kuddos and especially comments are appreciated!


End file.
